Rights Report: Week of July 16, 2018

Jul 17, 2018

Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow has acquired, in an exclusive submission, Last Things, a YA thriller by Jacqueline West (The Books of Elsewhere). Anders Thorson's band, Last Things, is on the verge of stardom. While Anders shines onstage, Thea Malcolm hides among the crowds, watching his every move. At first, Anders thinks she's just an obsessive fan, but Thea knows the truth about his talents: that Anders made a bargain with something dark and powerful, and the darkness is quickly closing in. Publication is scheduled for 2019; Danielle Chiotti at Upstart Crow Literary negotiated the deal for North American rights.

Jessica Powers at Catalyst Press has bought world rights, excluding southern Africa, to South African author Helen Brain's The Elevation trilogy. In the vein of Divergent, the dystopian thriller follows 16-year-old Ebba, who has never known life outside the underground bunker known as the Colony, set deep within Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. But when she is suddenly "elevated," she must leave everyone she has ever known and join the elite on the surface in a post-apocalyptic, post-technological world. The trilogy marks Brain's debut in North America. The first book in the series, The Thousand Steps, is slated for publication in fall/winter 2019; Aoife Lennon-Ritchie at the Lennon-Ritchie Agency did the three-book deal.

Miriam Newman at Candlewick has acquired The Wicked and the Justauthor J. Anderson Coats's newest YA novel, Lies and Miracles. Set in 12-century Wales, the historical epic tells the story of 17-year-old Elen, who, having spun a quick falsehood when captured by a band of raiders, finds that her life now depends on living that lie every second. Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency brokered the deal for world English rights; publication is planned for spring 2020.

Mari Kesselring at Flux has bought Seeking Mansfield author Kate Watson's new novel, Off Script, a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. Eighteen-year-old starlet Emma Crawford feels compelled to play matchmaker and spread the love, but #TimesUp when she comes up against Hollywood's systematic sexism. Publication is set for spring 2020; Dawn Frederick at Red Sofa Literary handled the deal for world English rights.

Tara Weikum at HarperCollins has acquired world English rights to Three Things I Know to Be True, a debut YA verse novel by Betty Culley, which tells the story of the aftermath of an accidental gun shooting between two best guy friends who live on the same street, the sister who cares for the severely injured victim, and how each family copes with their new reality. Publication is scheduled for 2020; Steven Chudney at the Chudney Agency negotiated the deal.

Joy Peskin at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has bought in a preempt The Train Between the Worlds, a middle grade fantasy-adventure by Dashka Slater(The 57 Bus), and a sequel. The novel tells the story of an endangered, mysterious family farm, the two 12-year-olds who are the only ones who can see the mystical creatures living there and therefore are the only ones who can save it, and the feylings whose lives hang in the balance. The first book is slated for winter 2020, with the sequel to follow a year later; Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.

Elise Howard at Algonquin has acquired world rights to The African History Project, a middle grade nonfiction book by The Jumbies and Rise of the Jumbies author Tracey Baptiste. The work will explore black history and achievements dating back to ancient times. Publication is planned for spring 2020; Marie Lamba at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency represented the author.

Taylor Norman at Chronicle has bought world English rights to Karen Romano Young's (l.) novel, A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon. The story is set in a slightly fantastical version of New York City, where bookish Pearl, the daughter of the librarian, teams up with a ragtag neighborhood crew including a tap-dancing new friend, an older boy Pearl has a crush on, and a pack of uniquely skilled raccoons that live in the library basement, in an attempt to save their branch from closure. Jessixa Bagley will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2019. Faye Bender at the Book Group represented the author, and Alexandra Penfold at Upstart Crow Literary represented the illustrator.

Allison Cohen at Running Press Kids has acquired world rights to travel writer Leigh Crandall's The Dark Hedges and Other Magical Places That Really Exist. The middle grade nonfiction book, pitched as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them meets 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, takes readers on a journey to the most unusual places on Earth, sharing the myths, legends, and history behind each location. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Elizabeth Bewley at Sterling Lord Literistic brokered the deal.

Katie Carella at Scholastic Branches has bought in a four-book deal author and illustrator of the bestselling The Notebook of Doom series Troy Cummings's early chapter book series, The Binder of Doom. Set to launch in summer 2019, the spin-off series features Alexander Bopp—leader of the Super Secret Monster Patrol—as he and his friends battle wacky monsters all over town. The author represented himself in the deal for world rights.

Kate O'Sullivan at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has acquired world rights to two picture books by Tom Lichtenheld. The first, When My Brother Gets Home, is about a younger sibling who anticipates all the fun that will follow when an older sibling finally returns from school. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Amy Rennert at the Amy Rennert Agency represented the author-illustrator. The second book, Louis, features a stuffed bear named Louis who can no longer bear the rough-and-tumble life of a toy, so he's decided to make a break for it. Julie Rowan-Zoch will illustrate; publication is slated for fall 2020. Amy Rennert at the Amy Rennert Agency represented the author, and Marcia Wernick at Wernick & Pratt Agency represented the illustrator.

Neal Porter has bought for his imprint at Holiday House a picture book by Philip C. Stead (l.) and this year's Caldecott Medalist, Matthew Cordell. The pair previously collaborated on Special Delivery and The Only Fish in the Sea. In Follow That Frog, Aunt Beulah Bee, interrupted from her sleep by a knock at the door, recalls a tale from her youth in which she travels the globe in search of an elusive, giant frog. The book is planned for publication in spring 2021, with a second untitled picture book to follow in spring 2022; Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management represented the author, and Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio represented the artist in the deal for world rights.

Zareen Jaffery at S&S/Salaam Reads has acquired world rights to Rukhsanna Guidroz's (l.) Leila in Saffron, illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova. The picture book follows a Pakistani-American girl named Leila who uses her senses of sight, smell, taste, and touch to cook a family meal with her grandmother and delight in the various items in her grandmother's home that speak to Leila's unique identity. Publication is slated for summer 2019; Wendi Gu at Janklow & Nesbit represented the author while at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, and Chrystal Falcioni at Magnet Arts Collective represented the illustrator.

Alvina Ling at Little, Brown has bought world rights to a new picture book by Shark vs. Train author Chris Barton, called Fire Truck vs. Dragon. Fire Truck and Dragon are unlikely friends, until their friendship takes unexpected turns. Doll-E 1.0 illustrator Shanda McCloskey will illustrate; publication is set for spring 2020. Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio represented the illustrator.

Karen Li at Owlkids Books has acquired world rights to Helaine Becker's Alice and Gert, a picture book spin on the Aesop fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper," which celebrates the value of art and those who create it. Publication is scheduled for 2019; Sally Keefe-Cohen brokered the deal.

Christian Trimmer at Henry Holt is launching and editing a middle-grade nonfiction series called Firsts, which celebrates women and men who were pioneers in their fields. Firsts: Full STEAM Ahead by Julie Leung (top l.) focuses on individuals who revolutionized science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics; Caitlin Kuhwald (top r.) will illustrate. And Firsts: Who Runs the World? by Jamie McGhee (bottom l.) highlights politicians, activists, and entrepreneurs who changed the world for the better; Nneka Myers (bottom r.) will illustrate. Both books are scheduled for fall 2019; Wendi Gu at Janklow Nesbit Associates represented the authors in the deal for world rights, and the illustrators represented themselves.

Andrew Karre at Dutton has acquired world English rights to a new YA novel by Blood Water Paint author and PW Flying Starts honoree Joy McCullough. The untitled book follows a teen girl immersed in stories of women taking revenge—particularly the legendary knight Marguerite de Bressieux—as she tries to cope with acts of violence committed against her older sister. Publication is scheduled for 2020; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret negotiated the deal.

Melissa Frain at Tor Teen has bought debut novelist Sarah Goodman's Eventide, a YA historical fantasy. It tells the story of Verity, a teenage girl forced to abandon her plans of college when she and her little sister are put on an orphan train to rural Arkansas. There, her sister is taken in by the town's schoolteacher, and Verity must work as a farmhand, only to find herself caught up in the locals' superstitions and rumors. Publication is slated for 2020; Hannah Mann at Writers House brokered the deal for world English rights.

Ashley Hearn at Page Street has acquired Isabel Ibañez's debut fantasy, Woven in Moonlight, an #OwnVoices Bolivian-inspired political fantasy. In the book, a magically gifted weaver plays the role of double agent to restore her queen to a troubled throne, but upon confronting a masked vigilante and a warm-hearted princess, she discovers that corruption comes in all forms. Publication is set for fall 2019; Mary C. Moore at Kimberley Cameron & Associates did the deal for world English rights.

Dan Simon at Seven Stories has bought Ink Knows No Borders, a YA collection of 65 poems on the immigrant and refugee experience, edited by Patrice Vecchione (l.) and Alyssa Raymond, for the YA and children's imprint Triangle Square. The anthology features contributions by Elizabeth Acevedo, Erika L. Sánchez, Samira Ahmed, Ocean Vuong, Fatimah Asghar, Chen Chen, Ada Limón, Kaveh Akbar, Hala Alyan, and Bao Phi, with a foreword by Javier Zamora and an afterword by Emtithal Mahmoud. Publication is planned for spring 2019; Charlotte Cecil Raymond represented the co-editors in the world rights deal.

Joanna Cárdenas at Penguin/Kokila has acquired at auction the debut middle grade novel Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim. The book stars a shy 11-year-old Korean-American girl who dreams of being a comedian, but can't even stand up to her academic-minded pragmatic parents, until a case of mistaken identity offers her the chance to attend a comedy camp taught by her idol. Publication is set for spring 2020, with a second untitled middle grade to follow. Thao Le at the Dijkstra Agency negotiated the two-book deal for North American rights.

Sonali Fry at Little Bee/Yellow Jacket has bought The Inside Battle, a middle grade novel by author Melanie Sumrow. Twelve-year-old Rebel Mercer lives in West Texas with his father, a veteran, who suffers from PTSD and is a member of a local armed militia. Rebel does his best to please his dad, including training with the militia, but when his father plans an attack on an African-American church, Rebel must make the most important choice of his life. Publication is slated for fall 2019; Rick Richter at Aevitas Creative Management brokered the deal for world English rights.

Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has acquired at auction Jamie Sumner's Trailerland, a middle grade novel narrated by a feisty 12-year-old with cerebral palsy who moves with her mother to a new town after her grandfather's Alzheimer's takes a turn for the worse. Publication is planned for fall 2019; Keely Boeving at WordServe Literary handled the deal for world rights.

Keith Garton at Red Chair/One Elm has bought Benjamin Klas's middle grade comedy, Second Dad Summer, about Jeremiah, whose father's boyfriend embarrasses him, and his new friendship with Sage, who has two moms. A publication date has not been set; Stephen Fraser at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency did the deal for North American rights.

Ada Zhang at Sterling has acquired Serena Williams—G.O.A.T: Making the Case for the Greatest of All Time by Tami Charles (Like Vanessa), a nonfiction sports biography of Serena Williams that makes the argument that she is the greatest tennis player of all time, and aims to show readers how to make a clear, well-researched argument themselves. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.

Karen Boss at Charlesbridge has bought world rights to Powwow Day by Cherokee author Traci Sorell (l.), illustrated by Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscokee Creek artist Marlena Myles. The book is about a traditional powwow celebration as seen through the eyes of a girl whose illness keeps her from participating; back matter includes information about the history and functions of powwows. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Emily Mitchell at Wernick & Pratt represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.

Kandace Coston at Lee & Low has acquired world rights to author Alison Goldberg's (l.) Bottle Tops: The Art of El Anatsui, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, about contemporary Ghanaian-born sculptor El Anatsui and how he transforms discarded materials into extraordinary art. The pub date is set for winter 2020; Kathleen Rushall at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Lori Nowicki at Painted Words represented the illustrator.

Ariel Richardson at Chronicle has bought world rights to Terry Pierce's (l.) picture book, Love Can Come in Many Ways, illustrated by Suzy Ultman. The novelty book with felt lift-the-flaps celebrates the many diverse ways animals and humans show their affection. Publication is planned for fall 2019; Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary represented Pierce, and Susan McCabe at Lilla Rogers Studio represented Ultman.

Talia Benamy at Philomel has acquired North American rights to Australian author-illustrator Anna Pignataro's The Heart of a Whale, the story of a whale whose song makes everyone but himself happy, until his oceanic friends step in to help. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Claire Pretyman at Scholastic Australia brokered the deal.

Charlie Ilgunas at Little Bee has bought author-illustrator Tiffany Rose's M Is for Melanin, a picture book alphabet affirmation celebrating black children, with black-positive messages conveyed through each letter of the alphabet. Publication is slated for fall 2019; Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.

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PW KidsCast: A Conversation with Katie GreenBritish author-illustrator Katie Green discusses her graphic memoir ‘Lighter Than My Shadow,’ which traces her long struggle with and recovery from anorexia, as well as why telling the story visually was so important.

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